No. 1, 1923 - In the Cartier,Collection since 1973 "Pendule Mystérieuse Portique No. 1", 18K yellow gold and enamel, rock crystal and onyx, diamondset eight day going Art Deco Portico Mystery Clock topped by a rock crystal Billiken, dodecagonal rock crystal dial and diamond-set bands, black enamelled gold bezel with applied rose-cut diamond-set Roman numerals. No. 2, 1924 - George and Frayda Lindemann Collection, Greenwich, Connecticut "Pendule Mystérieuse Portique No. 2", 18K yellow gold and enamel, rock crystal and onyx, diamondset eight day going Art Deco Portico Mystery Clock topped by a rock crystal Buddha, dodecagonal rock crystal dial and diamond-set hands, black enamelled gold bezel with applied rose-cut diamond-set Roman numerals. Detail of the decoralion on Nie comma above the base. The six Oriental-style Portico Mystery Clocks are designed to resemble a temple gate, featuring two lateral columns with a entablature crossing their tops from which a gong (the dial) hangs. These clocks are decorated with animais and carvings mostly of Chinese origin from the second half of the 19th Century. The third and fourth have square columns while ail the others have rounded columns. Portico Clock IV is the larges'', most expressive, and most Art Deco of the fmnily of six. This dock is crafted in rock crystal and decorated with jadeite jade, onyx, pearls and mother-of-pearl. It is the only one with a hexagonal face; the other five are 12-sided. Because it is hexagonal, the outline of the face is nnrch more detailed thaï' the others in the famny, comments Eric Nussbaum, Director of Cartier's Antique Collection. Its simplicity makes it more striking, drawing the viewer's attention to the diamond hands forming the dragon in its center, which is a jewelry masterpiece on its own. The dragon has black enamel thorns on its back, and the paved diamonds are also outlined in black enamel. In addition to its technical perfection, these clocks portray an amazing artistic Bide. If you look the diamond hands out of the dock you could nmke the most magni ficent brooch, Nussbaum comments. It semis as if the Longue of the dragon is minute by minute trying la fetch one of the pearls on the bezel; it's like hé s reaching for sugar bans. The jade motif compliments the Roman numerals on the bezel. Also the Roman chapters set in the corners of the hexagonal dial are elongated filling the space perfectly. It's absolute harmony, says Nussbaum. One of the main secrets of the elegance of Cartier's design is the fine feeling for proportions. Exhibition: This Mystery Clock together with the other five from the "portique" series were ail exhibited by Cartier at the SIHH (Salon hrternational de la Haute Horlogerie), Geneva, April 1991. Provenance: The property of Alain Cartier, according to whom this dock was previously in the Collection of the Maharajah of Nawanagar.